Vehicles can be serviced at repair facilities by mechanics (e.g., technicians). The technicians may use any of a variety of hand tools to service (e.g., repair) any of the wide variety of mechanical components on a vehicle. The technicians may also use electronic diagnostic equipment to service (e.g., diagnose) any of the wide variety of electrical components on a vehicle. The technician may use different data during various stages of servicing the vehicle in conjunction with or without the various tools and equipment.
In some situations, a technician requires technical assistance when working on a vehicle. A technician that contacts a technical assistant with respect to a vehicle being worked on typically has to spend several minutes placing a phone call to a technical assistant and explaining to the technical assistant details regarding the vehicle being worked on, the symptom(s) exhibited by the vehicle being worked on, and the diagnosis and repairs performed on the vehicle thus far with respect to the symptom(s). The time the technician takes to establish a phone call with the technical assistant and talking to the technical assistant can lead to decreased work output by the technician and the repair shop at which the vehicle is being worked on.
Moreover, technicians at other repair shops may work on similar vehicles exhibiting the same symptom(s). These other technicians may seek technical assistance from the same or a different technical assistant. The technical assistant(s) may spend a significant amount of time working with technicians to resolve common symptom(s) that are exhibited by similar vehicles.